Birmingham Royal Ballet - Midscale 2014, Fille in Nottingham and IDFB performances

[Jan McNulty]

Having a wander around the BRB website the other day, I came across the following:

 

Please note that tickets are already on sale for Cheltenham, Truro and Buxton.

 

 

North tour spring 2014

New Holder | Beauty and the Beast: Act I pas de deux | Hobson's Choice: Clog Dance and Lily of Laguna | La Fille mal gardée: Fanny Elssler pas de deux | Façade
 

Theatre Severn   7 - 8 May 2014

Durham Gala   15 - 17 May 2014

Buxton Opera House   20 - 21 May 2014

 

This breathtaking programme presents an exciting new work from Company dancer and choreographer Kit Holder and an early hit ballet by Sir Frederick Ashton, alongside thrilling excerpts from some of the world-famous classics with which Birmingham Royal Ballet has made its name, all performed to live music from members of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

NEW HOLDER
Inspired by the fantastically exciting and vibrant tango rhythms of Astor Piazzolla's The Four Season's of Buenos Aires, Company First Artist Kit Holder creates his third ballet for the Company. With it's first performance at the second International Dance Festival Birmingham, after the success of Kit's 9-5 for the 2012 festival, this work is sure to be a great success.

BITESIZED BALLET
Birmingham Royal Ballet once again brings you a selection of stunning exceprts from some of the world's best-loved ballets. This year's excerpts are:
Beauty and the Beast: Act I pas de deux
Hobson's Choice: Clog Dance and Lily of Laguna pas de deux
La Fille mal gardée: Ribbon pas de deux

FACADE
Finally, based on Edith Sitwell's deliciously nonsensical poetry, Façade embraces the fun of it all with whole-hearted and wilful abandon. Be entertained by a series of delightful characters dancing tangos, foxtrots and waltzes, all with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Choreographed in 1931, Façade was Sir Frederick Ashton's first big hit, and is full of the gentle comedy he is known and loved for - an enjoyable break from the sanity of everyday life!
 

 

 

South tour spring 2014

Les Rendezvous | Kin. | Elite Syncopations
 

Everyman Theatre   9 - 10 May 2014

The Lighthouse   13 - 14 May 2014

Hall for Cornwall   16 - 17 May 2014

Wycombe Swan   20 - 21 June 2014

 

This breathtaking programme presents a thrilling programme featuring works by two of the greats of British ballet, Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan, alongside an exciting new work from upcoming choreographer Alexander Whitley, all performed to live music from members of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

LES RENDEZVOUS
A huge hit when it was first performed in 1933, Les Rendezvous was the first ballet in which Ashton put aside the comedy for which he was known and concentrated on pure technique. Loosely based round a group of friends meeting up in a park, the ballet is a series of fiercly difficult divertissements which give the whole cast the chance to show off their virtuosity.

KIN.
An exciting new ballet from Royal Opera House Choreographic Affiliate, Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate and former Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer, Alexander Whitley. The ballet, to music by young American composer Phil Kline, will receive it's premiere at the 2013 International Dance Festival Birmingham. Not to be missed!

ELITE SYNCOPATIONS
A completely stripped back theatre bursts into life as dancers in brilliantly coloured costumes gather for a dance competition. An equally vibrant rag-time band play old favourites from Scott Joplin and his contemporaries to accompany a string of sketches, spanning the dazzling, the witty and the touching, as each dancer at the competition takes their turn. One of his best-loved creations, Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopations is certain to leave you smiling.

 

 

IDFB 2014 Programme One

New Holder | Kin. | Les Rendezvous
 

The Crescent Theatre   24 - 25 April 2014

After the success of the Company's 2012 performances, Birmingham Royal Ballet returns to International Dance Festival Birmingham with two new commissions from young choreographers and one of Sir Frederick Ashton's best-loved ballets.

NEW HOLDER
Inspired by the fantastically exciting and vibrant tango rhythms of Astor Piazzolla's The Four Season's of Buenos Aires, Company First Artist Kit Holder creates his third ballet for the Company. With it's first performance at the second International Dance Festival Birmingham, after the success of Kit's 9-5 for the 2012 festival, this work is sure to be a great success.

KIN.
An exciting new ballet from Royal Opera House Choreographic Affiliate, Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate and former Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer, Alexander Whitley. The ballet, to music by young American composer Phil Kline, will receive it's premiere at the International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014. Not to be missed!

LES RENDEZVOUS
A huge hit when it was first performed in 1933, Les Rendezvous was the first ballet in which Ashton put aside the comedy for which he was known and concentrated on pure technique. Loosely based round a group of friends meeting up in a park, the ballet is a series of fiercly difficult divertissements which give the whole cast the chance to show off their virtuosity.

 

 

IDFB 2014 Programme Two

New Holder | Kin. | Façade
 

The Crescent Theatre   26 April 2014

After the success of the Company's 2012 performances, Birmingham Royal Ballet returns to International Dance Festival Birmingham with two new commissions from young choreographers and one of Sir Frederick Ashton's best-loved ballets.

NEW HOLDER
Inspired by the fantastically exciting and vibrant tango rhythms of Astor Piazzolla's The Four Season's of Buenos Aires, Company First Artist Kit Holder creates his third ballet for the Company. With it's first performance at the second International Dance Festival Birmingham, after the success of Kit's 9-5 for the 2012 festival, this work is sure to be a great success.

KIN.
An exciting new ballet from Royal Opera House Choreographic Affiliate, Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate and former Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer, Alexander Whitley. The ballet, to music by young American composer Phil Kline, will receive it's premiere at the 2013 International Dance Festival Birmingham. Not to be missed!

FACADE
Finally, based on Edith Sitwell's deliciously nonsensical poetry, Façade embraces the fun of it all with whole-hearted and wilful abandon. Be entertained by a series of delightful characters dancing tangos, foxtrots and waltzes, all with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Choreographed in 1931, Façade was Sir Frederick Ashton's first big hit, and is full of the gentle comedy he is known and loved for - an enjoyable break from the sanity of everyday life!

 

 

La Fille Mal Garde in Nottingham

Edited November 28, 2013 by Janet McNulty
Edited to try and improve formatting

[alison]

Glad to see they're including High Wycombe on the southern tour again this year: perhaps they'll try and promote it as being within easy reach of Birmingham and London this time.

[Jan McNulty]

A bit off topic but Luke Schaufuss is now listed as a company member (no link to biog yet). 

[aileen]

Are those Wycombe Swan dates correct? They are almost a month later than the preceding dates in the tour?

[aileen]

Is Luke Schaufuss related to Peter Schaufuss?

[Jan McNulty]

Peter Schaufuss is Luke's father and Zara Deakin his Mum.  I think he was an apprentice with the RDB and then danced with Schaufuss Ballet.  If you google him there are some nice images and he is the spit of his Father when he was younger.

[Bluebird]

Are those Wycombe Swan dates correct? They are almost a month later than the preceding dates in the tour?

 

Just checked the BRB site.  They're at the Birmingham Hippodrome between those dates.

 

Edited to add link:

http://www.brb.org.uk/masque/index.htm?act=whatson&tsk=superseason&urn=26829

Edited November 28, 2013 by Bluebird

[Jan McNulty]

I checked with the company yesterday via twitter and the answer came back that those are the correct dates for High Wycombe.  Fille finishes in Birmingham on 15th June and the company are in Nottingham after HW.  I agree the dates look odd.

[sonik1965]

fillie in nottingham well what can i say nice to see the powers that be took note of so warm a welcome to brb early this year plus nice to see somthing diffrent then swanlake /nutcracker/sleeping beauty not that theres anything wrong with them.

 

one very happy notts ballet fan

 

will have to wait & see if the dates are right as janet says

Edited November 28, 2013 by sonik1965

[Marg S]

A bit off topic but Luke Schaufuss is now listed as a company member (no link to biog yet). 

And very good he was in Nutcracker last Tuesday, as one of the four Winds and the Arabian Dance.. Not sure if this was his first appearance with BRB but first time that I had seen him.

[nottsballetlover]

Great they are bringing Fille to Nottingham, although I wish they had announced it earlier as I already got tickets to see it in Birmingham! So another happy Notts ballet fan  .

 

I really hope this is the start of a regular thing to have BRB perform in Nottingham.

[Ian Macmillan]

Janet:  Do you know if BRB does Les Rendezvous in the original, flowing costumes or in the summer dresses with large polka dots seen in the last RB revival?  And do you know from past practice if these programmes might be the basis for the next BRB visit to Sadler's Wells?  Les Rendezvous and Facade ring bells from the past in this household.

[mart]

On their website BRB are using a photograph of Marianela Nunez to advertise Rendez Vous in the Polka Dot costume ,and the designer is credited as Anthony Ward .the original designer was William Chappell ,so my guess is that they will be using the RB costumes.

[Jan McNulty]

I don't think I've seen BRB do it as I couldn't always get to mixed bills when they were only at the start of a week.  Mart is probably right.

 

At Sadler's Wells the company usually do the mixed programme that is seen in Birmingham in the Autumn so I cannot predict if it will be shown there (but suspect not).

[mart]

I preferred the simplicity of the Chappell design (when SWRB did it ) to the polka dots at the RB.

[alison]

I was going to say that SWRB did it in the Chappell designs last time I saw it, but that would of couse have been 20 years ago or more.  I'm not sure what condition the costumes and/or sets were in, so it may be they've needed to borrow the RB's instead.

[alison]

BTW, would anyone like to take a guess at the approximate running time of the southern programme? I'd like to know if I can risk getting back to London from High Wycombe after an evening performance, which is always dodgy.

 

Also, can someone remind me of the running time of the 3-act version of Fille, please?

[Jan McNulty]

Well Kin is about 20 minutes long so if you know the length of Elite Syncopations and Les Rendezvous and factor in 2 twenty minute intervals that should do it.  I would guess between 2 hours and 2 hours 10 minutes but will know after Truro!